Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Celluloid
by JosephineLL
Summary: A Trip/Hoshi round robin. We're having so much fun we wanted to share ... :)
1. Chapter One

Title: RR: Trip/Sato  
Author: Josephine, Misanoe, Chrysa, Didi, Rodlox, Mara  
E-Mail: For contact info, look under the **posting forum**.  
Rating: R  
Category: Romance  
Codes: T/S  
Summary: Round robin in the Trip/Sato forum. Trip turns on the charm . . .   
Disclaimer: Star Trek and Enterprise are registered trademarks of Paramount Pictures. No infringement is intended.  
Notes: This is a round robin started in the **Trip and Sato Forum** of **Linguistics Database**. There are multiple authors involved, please seek permission from all before archiving. Format and quick beta by Jyorraku.  
  


Posted By

Josephine 

Hoshi snuck into the mess hall. 'A Love Story' had started a few minutes earlier, and although there were plenty of seats, she kept to the back as not to disturb anyone. Eyes fixed on the screen, she sat down. 

"Hey!" An indignant voice hit her ear the same time her brain registered the seat being higher and not as soft as usual. Hoshi popped up, sliding over to the next chair. 

"Commander! I'm so sorry!" Hoshi knew she was blushing. 

"That's ok, Hoshi. It's dark in here." Laughter threaded Trip's voice. 

"Why are you in the back all alone?" Hoshi leaned closer to whisper at Trip. Breathing in, she could smell his aftershave. Sandalwood. Her stomach did a flip. 

"Well, Malcolm and Jon didn't want to see the movie, and it's one of my favorites …besides, I felt a little awkward." He indicated the rest of the room, and Hoshi realized Trip was the only man there. 

"They don't know what they're missing." Hoshi settled in her seat, casually angled toward Trip to keep the Sandalwood in range. Trip had surprised her by being here; she wondered what else he was hiding under that good old boy veneer. She snuck a few glances at him, acting like she was looking at the other crewmembers. 

They sat in companionable silence, sharing a bin of popcorn, watching as Jennifer and Oliver fell in love. As Jennifer lay dying, Hoshi noticed Trip wiping away a few tears. She handed him some of her tissues, getting a muffled 'thanks' in return. When the credits rolled and the lights came up, they both gave a deep sigh. 

"Come on, I want to get out of here before I get caught." Giving her a grin, Trip grabbed Hoshi's hand and pulled her out of the make shift theater. 

They walked back to the officer's quarters, talking over movies they both had seen and loved, debating on how well the stories had made the leap from print to the screen. Hoshi was surprised to find Trip had read the books the movies were based on. 

"Don't look so shocked. Movies, if done right, can be great for bringin' characters to life, but it's a director's interpretation of the book. I like to get it straight form the source." 

Hoshi just blinked at Trip. "I'm sorry, I always thought of you as more a …" 

"Redneck engine jockey?" 

Hoshi tripped over her words denying any such thing. 

"It's ok, Hoshi, part of me is that too." He paused outside a door. "This is mine. You wouldn't want to come in or anything, would you?" He casually added "I can offer you some coffee; I rigged a little burner, enough to heat some water …" 


	2. Chapter Two

Title: RR: Trip/Sato  
Author: Josephine, Misanoe, Chrysa, Didi, Rodlox, Mara  
E-Mail: For contact info, look under the **posting forum**.  
Rating: R  
Category: Romance  
Codes: T/S  
Summary: Round robin in the Trip/Sato forum. Trip turns on the charm . . .   
Disclaimer: Star Trek and Enterprise are registered trademarks of Paramount Pictures. No infringement is intended.  
Notes: This is a round robin started in the **Trip and Sato Forum** of **Linguistics Database**. There are multiple authors involved, please seek permission from all before archiving. Format and quick beta by Jyorraku.  
  


Chapter Two

Posted By

Misanoe 

Trying not to appear flustered Hoshi smiled at Trip. "How about some tea?" 

Trip grinned, "Whatever you want." Opening his door he stepped aside to let Hoshi through. 

"Ah, the gentleman." Hoshi teased. 

"Nah, just here to block your exit so you can't escape when you see the clutter in my room." He answered back in good humor. True to Trip's word, Hoshi found massive disarray on his floor. 

"You weren't kidding." She stated, looking around to get a good look at the many items on his floor. 

Trip sheepishly followed the direction of her stare. Not expecting company he had not bothered to put away the small metal pieces on the floor, reasoning he would just have to take them out later again. Mentally berating himself he tried to explain the mess that swallowed his carpet. "Ever since I was young I liked recreating mini models of space ships. It's a hobby of mine." Nodding to the floor with his chin he continued, "I don't have as much time as I used to, but I suddenly got inspired and started working on a mo-" 

"It's the Enterprise." Cut in Hoshi, crouching down to get a closer look at the unfinished model of the ship she knew so well. 

"It's not finished yet." He responded ruefully, walking next to her and crouching down to examine the mini ship. 

"It's amazing." Breathed out Hoshi as she cautiously traced the model with her finger. "Everything's where it should be." 

Trip gazed at Hoshi, oblivious to his stare. "Yeah, she's beautiful." He said without averting his eyes. 

Hoshi nodded her head emphatically in agreement, tilting her head sideways to speak to him. "It seems li-" Trip's eyes stopped her sentence, the realization he had been looking at her this whole entire time made a dark flush sweep through her face. Standing up abruptly, her feet tripped over a small part on the floor and moments later Hoshi found herself in Trip's arms. 

"Oh-so-sorry." Hoshi stammered as she practically jumped out of his arms. "Well, I guess I'll be going. Er yeah, you know, things to read, languages to translate. Yeah." Hesitating in front of Trip for a second, she looked up quickly and turned a brighter shade of red, awkwardly mumbling a good-bye before she turned and fled. 

Confused at the whirlwind in which Hoshi disappeared, Trip stared at the direction she had retreated. Slowly the corners of his mouth twitched up and he turned around, his eyes resting on his model of the Enterprise. 

The next morning Hoshi woke from a night of fitful sleep from the chime of her bell. Getting up she opened her door and looked from left to right, no person in view. About to close her door, her eyes caught a glimpse of an object on the floor in front of her and she gasped out loud. It was the finished model of the Enterprise. Bending down to carefully pick it up, Hoshi held it in her hands, a small smile gracing her face. Looking down again, a small plain card with words scrawled on it lay at her feet. Picking it up it said...


	3. Chapter Three

Title: RR: Trip/Sato  
Author: Josephine, Misanoe, Chrysa, Didi, Rodlox, Mara  
E-Mail: For contact info, look under the **posting forum**.  
Rating: R  
Category: Romance  
Codes: T/S  
Summary: Round robin in the Trip/Sato forum. Trip turns on the charm . . .   
Disclaimer: Star Trek and Enterprise are registered trademarks of Paramount Pictures. No infringement is intended.  
Notes: This is a round robin started in the **Trip and Sato Forum** of **Linguistics Database**. There are multiple authors involved, please seek permission from all before archiving. Format and quick beta by Jyorraku.

Posted by:

Chrysa 

_"Because she's beautiful." _  
  
* * * * * 

Trip was having an incredibly good day. The warp core wasn't giving him any problems, his paperwork was all caught up and Hoshi—Well, speak of the devil. "Hi, Hoshi." 

She stood before him nervously shifting from foot to foot, reminding him of a butterfly flitting from spot to spot, unable to stay still. "You all right, Hoshi?" 

"Can-can I speak to you for a moment?" With a nod, he led her over to a relatively quiet spot. "I got your gift," she bit her lip. "But-" 

He frowned. "You didn't like it?" She hated it. She hated him. Oh crap! Good job, Trip! Three relationships in his life and he somehow screws this one up before it begins. 

"No!" At the distressed look on Trip's face Hoshi hastened to reassure him. "It's beautiful. But I can't accept it! You worked so hard on it, Trip. You should keep it in your quarters." 

She liked the ship and she didn't hate him. Two for two, Trip breathed a sigh of relief. "Hoshi, I gave it to you because I wanted you to have it." 

"But-" 

"No." 

"But-" 

"No." 

"But-" 

"Hoshi!" 

They stared at each other stubbornly. Finally, taking a deep breath, Hoshi relented. "All right. I'll keep it." Trip's grin brought an involuntary smile to her own lips. "But you have to let me do something for you. To thank you." 

"Well…"


	4. Chapter Four

Title: RR: Trip/Sato  
Author: Josephine, Misanoe, Chrysa, Didi, Rodlox, Mara  
E-Mail: For contact info, look under the **posting forum**.  
Rating: R  
Category: Romance  
Codes: T/S  
Summary: Round robin in the Trip/Sato forum. Trip turns on the charm . . .   
Disclaimer: Star Trek and Enterprise are registered trademarks of Paramount Pictures. No infringement is intended.  
Notes: This is a round robin started in the **Trip and Sato Forum** of **Linguistics Database**. There are multiple authors involved, please seek permission from all before archiving. Format and quick beta by Jyorraku.  
  


Posted By

Didi 

Hoshi tilted her head and smiled. "Well what?" She asked, her adorable eyes twinkling with amusement. "What would you like?" 

Trip tried valiantly to suppress the painfully silly grin that threatened to erupt onto his face with that loaded question. _Lord girl, you couldn't have said it any other way?_ "I could use a little company tonight." 

"Company?" she asked with raised brows. "And what would you be needing company for?" 

"I have to reset the warp (insert technical term) tonight and you know how lonely it gets in engineering in the middle of the night." 

"With twenty engineers walking about on the night shift?" She asked in amused disbelief. 

"They all have jobs to do that they're not going to have a lot of time to keep me company." He was doing such a pathetic job that he would have winced at his own attempt at being charming had it not been for the sly smile that graced the ensign's face. "Come on Hoshi you know how I hate..." 

"I'd love to sit by you and watch you at work," she leaned in a little closer. "You can regale me with all your techno gabble." 

He laughed and gave her a quick hug, which should have been a friendly non-sexual gesture but got a huge physical reaction to it instead. _Okay, never got turned on by that before._ "Then I'll see you tonight? In engineering?" 

"Sure," she smiled. "Um... what part of engineer are we suppose to meet?" 

"Behind the warp coils." 

"Okay," she nodded her head. "Should I bring a snack for you?" 

He thought about it and suppressed a smile, breaking his own rules of conduct he had set for his people. "You can bring whatever you like." 

"Great," she flash him another one of those thousand watt smile before turning to walk away. "I'll see you then." 

"See you, darling." He replied quietly at her retreating back. He wondered how she was going to feel when she realized that he was the only one allowed anywhere near the warp coils. As far as the rest of the engineering team goes, they were going to be virtually alone tonight. _Just going to be you and me and a warp core. Should be fun!_


	5. Chapter Five

Title: RR: Trip/Sato  
Author: Josephine, Misanoe, Chrysa, Didi, Rodlox, Mara  
E-Mail: For contact info, look under the **posting forum**.  
Rating: R  
Category: Romance  
Codes: T/S  
Summary: Round robin in the Trip/Sato forum. Trip turns on the charm . . .   
Disclaimer: Star Trek and Enterprise are registered trademarks of Paramount Pictures. No infringement is intended.  
Notes: This is a round robin started in the **Trip and Sato Forum** of **Linguistics Database**. There are multiple authors involved, please seek permission from all before archiving. Format and quick beta by Jyorraku.  
  


Posted By

Josephine 

Hoshi entered Engineering and realized she didn't know exactly where 'behind the warp coils' was. Grabbing the nearest crewman, she asked for Commander Tucker. 

"Behind the warp coils," he answered, waving his hand in a general direction. Hoshi just looked at him. Smiling, the crewman told her to follow him. 

After getting totally turned around what with going over, under, and around various mechanical things, Hoshi finally saw Trip in front of a display panel. Thanking the crewman, she went up to him. "Hi." 

Apparently he hadn't heard her coming as he jumped at the sound of her voice. "I was supposed to meet you here, right?" Hoshi began to get nervous. 

"Of course, darlin'! I sometimes lose track of th' time down here." 

"I'm not going to be in the way, am I?" 

"Nope. Just let me do a few more calibrations, then all I have to do is check it every few minutes. Too often to get to go anywhere, not often enough to be busy." Hoshi watched Trip push a few more buttons. "There! Done for now." He looked at her, clad in shorts and a t-shirt, same as he was. 

"I remember you saying it got hot down in Engineering." She started getting nervous again. 

"You're fine, darlin'. What'd ya bring me?" 

"Greedy, aren't you! What makes you think I brought anything?" 

"This." Trip slipped a finger under the slim strap of Hoshi's backpack, sliding his hand down the strap to her waist. The pressure of his hand against her skin made Hoshi shiver. 

"Oh, that," she managed to get out. Taking of the pack, she opened it up. "I brought Wasabi peas and ice water." 

"Wasabi peas?" 

"It's a Japanese snack. Roasted peas covered in wasabi, Japanese horseradish. I figured being from Texas, you could handle something spicy." 

"Is that a dare, Ms. Sato?" Trip gave her a cross between a leer and a grin. 

"Take it any way you want, Mr. Tucker." 

_Damn, girl, don't tempt me._ Trip pushed the risqué picture out of his mind. Looking at Hoshi, he got a wicked idea. "Come here." 

At her puzzled look, Trip grabbed her hand and pulled her close. Putting his hands around her, Trip lifted Hoshi up onto an almost waist-high ledge near the control panel. 

Hoshi gasped. "It's vibrating!" 

Keeping him between her knees, Trip gave her that half leer again. "Sure is." 

"But what if someone comes by?" Hoshi glanced nervously about. 

"It's the middle of Beta shift, darlin', there's only three other people in Engineerin'. Besides, I don't think anyone's gonna come back here." Hoshi blushed at his insinuation. 

Opening the bag of peas to cover her embarrassment, Hoshi offered some to Trip. Warily taking a few to tease, he popped them in his mouth. Hoshi watched, for some reason anxious that he should like them. 

"They're good. A different spicy than I'm used to, but I like them." 

Trip and Hoshi spent the next hour eating wasabi peas and talking of everything under the sun. Trip stayed right where he was, always in contact with some part of Hoshi's skin. He could feel the vibrations of the warp engine, that coupled with the rising sexual tension between him and Hoshi was giving him quite a rush. He looked at her tongue slipping out to lick wasabi off her lips, wanting to do it for her … 

Hoshi felt the rush too; the engine's vibrations sending tingles through her body, Trip's hand on her leg, and the looks he would give her. She didn't know how this evening would end, but she wasn't going to let that stop her from enjoying the here and now. _Sometimes the anticipation is it's own reward._ Hoshi couldn't keep her eyes off Trip's mouth. She wanted to kiss him so badly … 

Suddenly the console beeped. Trip came out of his reverie, and made a few entries into the computer. "All done for tonight," he said, turning back to Hoshi. 

Hoshi was relieved. She wanted this man standing in front of her, but she wasn't the type to fall into bed on the first date. Or second, depending if you counted the movie … 

Coming out of her own reverie, she hopped off the ledge. "I'd best be getting back then." Trip grabbed the backpack before she could pick it up. 

"I'll carry it for you, I'm going that way." Walking out of Engineering they could still feel their desire for each other. Reaching Hoshi's cabin in silence, Trip handled her the pack. "Thanks for coming by tonight. Do ya want to see the next movie together?" _You sound like a teenager._

"Yes, thanks. I had fun, Trip." Hoshi leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Trip breathed in her perfume, enjoying the feel of her skin against his stubble. As she pulled back, she met his eyes. Trip's arms reached out and pulled her close as his mouth descended to hers, kissing her with all the pent up passions from the previous hour. 

The pack slipped from Hoshi's fingers as her arms wound themselves about Trip's neck. She pulled him even closer, giving back as good as she got. Breaking apart, gasping for breath, Trip and Hoshi stared at each other. 

"I … I should be going…," Hoshi managed to get out. 

"It's late," Trip admitted, reluctantly releasing her. Hoshi's hands slid down his chest as she stepped back. Both of them looked at each other, wondering what had just happened. Hoshi turned and keyed open her door. 

"Will you have lunch with me?" Trip called out before the door closed. 


	6. Chapter Six

Title: RR: Trip/Sato  
Author: Josephine, Misanoe, Chrysa, Didi, Rodlox, Mara  
E-Mail: For contact info, look under the **posting forum**.  
Rating: R  
Category: Romance  
Codes: T/S  
Summary: Round robin in the Trip/Sato forum. Trip turns on the charm . . .   
Disclaimer: Star Trek and Enterprise are registered trademarks of Paramount Pictures. No infringement is intended.  
Notes: This is a round robin started in the **Trip and Sato Forum** of **Linguistics Database**. There are multiple authors involved, please seek permission from all before archiving. Format and quick beta by Jyorraku.  
  


Posted By

Chrysa 

"Come on…come on…come on…NO!!!" Hoshi slammed her hand onto her console in frustration. 

"I suppose asking if everything is all right would be pointless wouldn't it?" Archer asked from his chair. 

Hoshi sighed and sat back. "Yes, it would be pointless, sir. This is the third time the power to my console cut out." She slid beneath it and looked around. 

"Archer to Tucker." 

"Tucker here." 

"Trip is everything quiet down there?" 

"Engines are behaving themselves. Why what's up?" 

Archer looked at Hoshi's legs poking out from under the console and chuckled. "I think my comm. officer is trying to get transferred to Engineering. She's trying to hotwire her console." 

"…I'll be right up." 

* * * * * 

Hoshi was so engrossed in the wiring of her console she didn't hear the footsteps coming up to her console or the case of tools being laid next to her legs. 

"Trying to get transferred?" Trip asked with a smile and he knelt down and crawled under the console with her. 


	7. Chapter Seven

Title: RR: Trip/Sato  
Author: Josephine, Misanoe, Chrysa, Didi, Rodlox, Mara  
E-Mail: For contact info, look under the **posting forum**.  
Rating: R  
Category: Romance  
Codes: T/S  
Summary: Round robin in the Trip/Sato forum. Trip turns on the charm . . .   
Disclaimer: Star Trek and Enterprise are registered trademarks of Paramount Pictures. No infringement is intended.  
Notes: This is a round robin started in the **Trip and Sato Forum** of **Linguistics Database**. There are multiple authors involved, please seek permission from all before archiving. Format and quick beta by Jyorraku.  
  


Posted By

Josephine 

"Whaa?" Hoshi hit her head on the innards of her console as Trip's voice startled her. "Ow." 

"Sorry." Trip tried to smother a grin. "Want me to kiss it for you?" he added in an undertone. 

"Shh!" Hoshi grinned back at him. 

"Scoot over a little." Trip wedged himself next to Hoshi under the console. "So what's the problem?" 

"The power goes out intermittently, sometimes just flickering on and off, sometimes cutting out totally. I can't tell what's wrong though." 

"That's my job, darlin'." Trip was secretly pleased he could call her that without anyone the wiser. 

Hoshi watched him as he took out some kind of device and started poking around. She listened to him muttering to himself, enjoying being next to him. Finally she asked what he was doing. 

"This here is a multimeter. It's used to check ohms, amperage, and volts. I'm usin' it to see if there is a current runnin' through any of these wires." 

"And?" 

"I think that this one over here …" Trip reached over her, his face dangerously close to hers. "Jest need to … screw this back in here." His look challenged her to say something. Hoshi just looked back innocently. 

"And that will fix my problem with the console?" 

"Sure will darlin'." Trip looked over her face, his eyes settling on her lips. He leaned in closer and whispered: "You never said if you'd have lunch with me." 

Hoshi's stomach was doing flips. He was so close; his breath was tickling her skin. She was getting lost in those blue eyes of his, listening to his wonderful accent. "What?" 

"Lunch. With me. Please?" 

"Ok." Trip felt giddy as Hoshi's beautiful smile lit up her face. He wanted to kiss her so badly … he leaned toward her … 

"You got it fixed yet, Commander Tucker?" Trip closed is eyes in regret as Archer's voice brought him back to the here and now. 

"All done, Cap'n." Trip tried to crawl out from under the consol, but couldn't move. He wiggled a bit more. "I can't move, Hoshi, can you get out?" 

"I can try." Hoshi wiggled a bit herself, but didn't move much. Trip tried to think of something, anything as Hoshi's curves moved against him. 

"I can't get out either." 

"Um, Cap'n, we're stuck." 

"What?" 

"We're wedged in here." 

"You're kidding." 

"No, sir." 

Trip and Hoshi could hear snickers in the background. Archer cleared his throat. "What do you suggest, Chief Engineer Tucker?" 

Closing his eyes, Trip leaned his head against Hoshi's. "I think we'll have to … OWW!!" Someone had grabbed Trip's ankles and pulled. 

"Ensign, I told you that wasn't going to work." Reed's exasperated voice floated over from the other side of the bridge. 

"Sorry sirs." 

"As I was saying, I think we'll have to take apart the console. Get a hold of Andersen, he'll know what to do." 

"Ok, hold tight Trip. You ok, Hoshi?" …


	8. Chapter Eight

Title: RR: Trip/Sato  
Author: Josephine, Misanoe, Chrysa, Didi, Rodlox, Mara  
E-Mail: For contact info, look under the **posting forum**.  
Rating: R  
Category: Romance  
Codes: T/S  
Summary: Round robin in the Trip/Sato forum. Trip turns on the charm . . .   
Disclaimer: Star Trek and Enterprise are registered trademarks of Paramount Pictures. No infringement is intended.  
Notes: This is a round robin started in the **Trip and Sato Forum** of **Linguistics Database**. There are multiple authors involved, please seek permission from all before archiving. Format and quick beta by Jyorraku.  
  


Posted By

Chrysa 

Hoshi gave Trip a rueful smile. "For being stuck under a console? Yeah, fine. No worries." She felt Trip shake with laughter. "I get the feeling we're going to miss lunch," she said quietly. 

"We just might," Trip agreed. "Dinner?" 

"Dinner and a movie? I can go for that. What were they playing today?" 

"I have no idea." He hadn't planned on paying attention to the movie anyway. They looked at their feet as another pair of boots showed up. 

Andersen took one look at them and started laughing. 

"Andersen, shut the hell up," Trip drawled. 

Andersen knelt next to them and peeked into the underside of the console. "Sorry, sir," he grinned wiping his eyes. "Had to get it out my system. Shut your eyes for a moment please. Don't want ya goin' blind." He flashed a light into the compartment to get a better idea of what he was up against. "Is there anything pressing against your backs?" When the answer came up 'no,' Andersen nodded and shut the flashlight down. "Okay. You can open your eyes." 

"Never seen a more beautiful sight in my life," Trip whispered. 

Hoshi blushed and looked away. 

"How does it look?" Archer asked as Andersen checked a few more things on Hoshi's console. 

"I take it you've tried to pull them out by their ankles?" 

There was another round of snickering. 

"Yes, it's been tried," Archer said shaking his head. Only on his ship would something like this happen. 

"That settles it then," Andersen wiped his hands. "We'll have to cut them out." 

"What?! You're going to cut my console apart?!!!" 

Andersen paused and leaned against the comm. console. "Unless you're planning on making a home in there, Ensign." 

Hoshi grumbled for a few moments and fell silent. 

"Don't worry. We'll put it back together for you. Relax. Everything will be fine," Trip said reassuringly. 

"Andersen to Engineering." 

"Engineering," a laughing feminine voice answered. "What can I do for you, Robbie?" 

"Kit, I need you guys to cut power to the comm. console and reroute its functions to…" He looked at T'Pol and she nodded back. "Sub-Commander T'Pol's console. We're gonna have to cut it apart. I'll need you to send a few people up with the right tools." 

"Hatchet job or fine cutting?" 

"Fine cutting. Commander Tucker and Ensign Sato are wedged in underneath it." 

There was silence on the other end for a few moments. Then Kit came back on trying valiantly not to laugh while her coworkers howled. "You're kidding right?" 

"No." 

"Only on this ship, man. We'll be there in a few minutes. Engineering out." 

Andersen bent down and looked at Trip and Hoshi. "Still doing okay down there?"


	9. Chapter Nine

Title: RR: Trip/Sato  
Author: Josephine, Misanoe, Chrysa, Didi, Rodlox, Mara  
E-Mail: For contact info, look under the **posting forum**.  
Rating: R  
Category: Romance  
Codes: T/S  
Summary: Round robin in the Trip/Sato forum. Trip turns on the charm . . .   
Disclaimer: Star Trek and Enterprise are registered trademarks of Paramount Pictures. No infringement is intended.  
Notes: This is a round robin started in the **Trip and Sato Forum** of **Linguistics Database**. There are multiple authors involved, please seek permission from all before archiving. Format and quick beta by Jyorraku.  
  


Posted By

A. Nonny

"I am," Trip answered. "Though if I end up missing anything..."

Anderson swallowed nervously.

Hoshi said something in rapid-fire Vulcan.

T'Pol raised an eyebrow and asked Archer, "Captain, is there something in human literature that deals with the taking of a pound of flesh?"

Anderson swallowed again.


	10. Chapter Ten

Title: RR: Trip/Sato  
Author: Josephine, Misanoe, Chrysa, Didi, Rodlox, Mara  
E-Mail: For contact info, look under the **posting forum**.  
Rating: R  
Category: Romance  
Codes: T/S  
Summary: Round robin in the Trip/Sato forum. Trip turns on the charm . . .   
Disclaimer: Star Trek and Enterprise are registered trademarks of Paramount Pictures. No infringement is intended.  
Notes: This is a round robin started in the **Trip and Sato Forum** of **Linguistics Database**. There are multiple authors involved, please seek permission from all before archiving. Format and quick beta by Jyorraku.

All right, I'd be here forever if I was to put each post in as a chapter, so I'm combining them.  So there.  ;)

By Josephine

Trip was getting annoyed at the humor everyone was finding in this situation. Being this close to Hoshi and not being able to do anything about it was also getting him frustrated. "Damn," he whispered on an exasperated sigh. 

"I'm sure they'll have us out of here soon, Commander." Trip looked over at Hoshi and realized she had misinterpreted him. 

Trip maneuvered to whisper in her ear. "It's not bein' stuck in here with you that's gettin' me antsy, darlin', it's bein' this close and not bein' able to do any of the things I want to." Hoshi shivered as his breath tickled her ear. 

"Like wh..." 

Hoshi was interrupted by Andersen's voice. "Ok, Commander, Ensign, we're goin' to start cutting now. Hold your ears!" 

"Wait!" Hoshi's plaintive cry came up through her console. "Can't you just unscrew it piece by piece or something?" 

"That'll be too slow. You'll be stuck all day." 

"And as much as that appeals to me ..." Trip said in a low voice and smiled down into her eyes. 

"Go ahead, Andersen." Trip pulled Hoshi close, covering her body with his own as a loud whine filled their ears. Sparks fell around them and Hoshi pulled Trip closer. _Sandalwood..._

After what seemed and eternity of breathing him in and listening to his heartbeat, the top of her console was lifted off and Hoshi met the amused looks of her fellow bridge officers. 

"Quite a compromising position you were in, Trip." Archer laughed as he helped the Chief Engineer up off of his Comm Officer. 

"Hoshi behaved herself, Captain, I believe my virtue is intact." Trip turned and pulled Hoshi up a little too forcefully so she stumbled into is arms. "You alright, Ensign?" 

"I'm fine, Commander." Hoshi gave him a frustrated look. She was sure he did that on purpose, and while normally she would enjoy being up against his chest, she was too frazzled to appreciate it. 

"Looks like your console will be out for awhile." Archer looked at her. "Were you working on anything that vital?" 

"No, just routine language classifications and the like. I can do that on any workstation." 

"There's a few extra ones down in Engineerin'." 

Archer gave Trip a 'what are you up to' look. Trip did his best innocent routine. 

"If Ensign Sato is up for it, she can work down in Engineering. If not, I'm sure there are other stations she can use." 

Before Hoshi could answer, Trip let out "Great! I'll take her down. Andersen, clean this up, and I'll be back to start working on a new console." He took Hoshi's arm and led her into the lift. As the doors closed on them, the bridge crew looked at each other. 

"Now that the show's over, let's get back to work." Archer looked around as everyone attempted to look busy. 

"I don't think we've seen the end of that if Hoshi's face was any indication." Travis hid a snicker at Reed's observation. 

* * * * * 

In the lift Hoshi stood fuming at the way Trip had decided where she was going to work, with out even a by-your-leave from her. 

"Shall I pick you up at 1800 for dinner and that movie?" 

Turning to face him fully, Hoshi started to tell him exactly what he could do at 1800. 

By A. Nonny

Unfortunately, Trip heard her say "You're fully _ma'aa-heru_ as a _htp_!" 

Hoshi bit her lip then, wishing she could take it back. 'Well, in some cultures, it's a compliment...' she thought. 

"What?" Trip asked. 

Hoshi had no intention - yet - of telling him that she'd blurted out 'fully justified as a lover of cattle'....of course, to the Ancient Egyptians, whose language that was, humans were cattle.

By Mara

Trip watched Hoshi bite her lip and was momentarily distracted by her teeth and lips. He shook himself mentally. "Darlin', I probably don't want to know what you just said, do I?" 

She shook her head. 

He leaned a little closer, praying the lift would give him the time he needed. "C'mon, you're not backin' out on me, are ya?" He watched her breathing speed up. 

"Trip-" 

"I'm sorry about what just happened on the bridge," he said, forestalling her. "I just couldn't help myself." He put one arm alongside her head and leaned his forehead against hers. 

"Trip," she said quietly, "I do want to have dinner with you, but we need to talk about-" 

The door to the lift opened and they jumped apart so fast, Hoshi banged her head on the wall. Fortunately, nobody was in the hallway to see their behavior. 

"Ow!" She rubbed the offended portion as they got off the lift. 

"Can I kiss it and make it better?" Trip whispered in her ear. 

She tried to glare at him, but seemed to have difficulty keeping a straight face. She looked around, probably to make certain they were still alone. 

"That's what I mean," she said. "If you're going to go around being sexy at me, I'm going to embarrass myself." 

He grinned at her and she gave up on trying to discipline him. "Okay," she said with a sigh, "dinner and a movie. But I mean it, you need to behave yourself in public. It's bad enough I've got a reputation for being a scaredy-cat, I don't need one for being clumsy as well." 

"Best behavior," Trip said. "I promise." 

The look she gave him as they entered Engineering and headed for an empty terminal was somewhat dubious. "I promise," he said again. "We'll have a nice relaxin' evening, with no getting stuck under consoles, nothing to further darken your reputation. Other than being seen in public with me, which can only enhance it." 

"Ha," she said, sitting down. 

With a parting flourish, he left her to continue working, and made his way to his office, trying not to skip or whistle his general contentment with the universe.

By Josephine

Hoshi sighed as she logged off the workstation in Engineering. She had done about all she could do with the limited access this interface gave her. Besides, her back hurt from sitting in a strange chair half the day. 

Standing and stretching, Hoshi looked for Trip. Not finding him, she grabbed the nearest crewman. "Tell Commander Tucker that I appreciate the use of a workstation, and I'm leaving now." She thanked him as he gave her his assurances he would. 

Standing in front of her chest of drawers, Hoshi was about to grab her old jeans and a t-shirt when she stopped. _I'll give Trip something to be sexy at ... _

Digging down into the back of the bottom drawer Hoshi pulled out a pair of jeans she had accidentally washed in hot water but loved too much to toss. Slipping them on, she was pleased to see they just fit. Just. 

_High stress job plus Starfleet food equals new fad diet._ Hoshi giggled, turning in front of the mirror, smiling at the way the jeans hugged her curves. Reaching into the closet she pulled out an old soft Oxford shirt she'd had forever. Hoshi pulled it on, knotting it at the waist and buttoning it one shy of decent. Grabbing her brush and flipping her head over, Hoshi brushed her hair upside down, then quickly stood up, giving her hair some temporary body. 

Standing in front of the mirror, Hoshi took a critical look at herself. Deciding against jewelry, she put on a thin layer of lipstick. 

_Not too shabby ..._ Turning at the chime, Hoshi went to open the door. 

"Ready Hosh..." Trip's voice trailed off as Hoshi opened the door. He'd never seen her like this before, usually she was in her uniform or some old thing she threw on. 

"Sure are." Hoshi gave him a blinding smile and started walking down the corridor, secretly pleased at his dumbfounded expression. Realizing he wasn't with her, Hoshi looked back. Trip was still outside her door. 

"Are you coming?" 

Trip blinked once or twice, then walked over to where Hoshi was waiting. Giving her a grin, he held out his arm. "Anywhere you lead." 

Placing her arm through his, Hoshi replied, "Let's start with that dinner and a movie you owe me." 

"Right. Lasagna and 'Flash Gordon', here we come."


	11. Chapter Eleven

Title: RR: Trip/Sato  
Author: Josephine, Misanoe, Chrysa, Didi, Rodlox, Mara  
E-Mail: For contact info, look under the **posting forum**.  
Rating: R  
Category: Romance  
Codes: T/S  
Summary: Round robin in the Trip/Sato forum. Trip turns on the charm . . .   
Disclaimer: Star Trek and Enterprise are registered trademarks of Paramount Pictures. No infringement is intended.  
Notes: This is a round robin started in the **Trip and Sato Forum** of **Linguistics Database**. There are multiple authors involved, please seek permission from all before archiving. Format and quick beta by Jyorraku.

By Mara

As they approached the mess hall, Hoshi's newfound confidence faltered. She realized two things: first, she'd be facing half the crew dressed like this, second, everyone had probably heard about them getting stuck under the console. 

Trip obviously had regrouped from his earlier confusion, since he kept her moving forward. "Let's not keep your adoring fans waiting." 

_What the hell, _she thought, figuratively throwing up her hands. _After the day we've had, how bad could it be?_

The door slid open and Trip propelled her through it, smiling and cheerfully greeting everyone in sight. Greetings--and to be honest, a few catcalls--paved their way through the room. Trip didn't stop for anything, nodding and smiling and playing good ol' boy to the hilt. 

One remark made Hoshi's head swivel on her neck like an owl's. "Did she just say what I thought she said?" Hoshi asked through gritted teeth. "I'll show her-" 

"Keep moving, darlin'," Trip said, now dragging her by the arm. "Remember, I said it would be an uneventful evening. That includes ensuring you don't take anything said in fun too seriously." 

"Too seriously? She said-" 

Trip stopped her and looked her in the eye. "I know what she said, but we're gonna go right over here and get our plates of lasagna and have a nice dinner." 

Hoshi sighed. "You're right. I can always teach her the error of her ways later." 

"Bloodthirsty, aren't you?" 

She turned her face up to him and smiled brilliantly. She loved the way he was blown away by her smile. "Didn't anyone tell you the quiet ones are the most dangerous?" 

"Yep. Most fun, too." 

They got their lasagna and found a table in the corner. Not that it would keep the entire room from watching and gossiping about them, but at least they wouldn't have to *hear it*. 

Dinner was nice; a word much maligned, but a state of being appreciated by any woman who's ever suffered through a bad day. They chatted, he teased, she blushed, they ate, he complimented, she reciprocated. Nice. And it was, in fact, relaxing. 

After helping to rearrange the room for the movie, Hoshi and Trip moved as one for the same seats in the back they'd had for 'A Love Story.' This time, as the lights dimmed, he slid his arm around her, and she leaned without guilt into the crook of his shoulder, soaking up the warmth and comfort of that simple touch. She breathed in his cologne and resisted the urge to rub her chin against his chest like a cat. _That would be fun, but probably not productive for movie watching purposes._

"Have you ever seen this movie before?" Trip whispered as the opening sequence began. 

"No, but I've heard about it." 

By the time Ming the Merciless had said "I like to play with things a while...before annihilation," Hoshi was snickering and she could feel the suppressed laughter in Trip's chest. 

"Flash! Flash! Flash, I love you! But we only have 14 hours to save the Earth! Flash!" made her laugh so hard tears came out of her eyes. Trip leaned his cheek against the top of her head. She tilted her head up and whispered in his ear. "Oh Trip, we only have 14 hours to save the Earth!" 

"Well, you're not only more beautiful than Dale," he whispered back, "you're a heck of a lot smarter, too." 

"Gee thanks, buster, that's quite the recommendation," she said, before they were shushed by nearby moviegoers. Hoshi settled back happily into his arms, content to let the movie's silliness wash away her earlier embarrassment. 

By Josephine

The credits started to roll after the movie was over, and Trip quickly pulled Hoshi up. "Let's get out of here." 

Going the opposite direction from the crew quarters, Trip led Hoshi on a meandering path through the ship. After their second random turn, she looked up at him. "Where are we going? 

"No where in particular. Jest had to stretch my legs after sitting so long. D'you mind?" 

"Not at all." Hoshi leaned against his arm for a moment, then asked a question, which got Trip talking. _Mmmm ... love his accent ..._ A question now and then from her kept his narrative flowing. The sound of his voice along with his hand caressing her back was causing butterflies in Hoshi's stomach. Before she knew it they were in front of her cabin. 

Hoshi looked up at Trip but never made it past his mouth. _...kiss me..._ Her lips parted as he came closer, but Trip moved toward her ear instead. 

"I had a great time, Hosh." Hoshi was glad the door was behind her, she leaned back as her knees almost gave out at the sound of his voice, the feel of his breath, the scent of sandalwood, the look his eyes were giving her. All she needed to lose it was the taste of him on her lips ... 

"Yes, it was ... lovely." A small thought worked its way up through her brain. "What should I call you?" 

"Hmm?" Trip moved down her neck, his mouth mere centimeters from her skin. 

"I'm not going to call you Commander off duty, Tucker is for the guys ... Trip? Your friends call you Trip ..." Hoshi's head had fallen back and her eyes closed as Trip moved up her neck to her other ear. 

"What I want from you, darlin', is more than friendship." 

Her breath coming shallow and fast, Hoshi managed to get out "Then what do I call you?" 

"Charlie." 

"Charlie?" 

"Mmm Hmm. Say it." Trip moved his entire body to within centimeters of her. 

"Charlie." 

Hoshi could barely think straight as Trip continued to whisper in her ear. "Much nicer than that harsh Trip, don't you think? Say it again, darlin'." He moved to hover over her mouth. "Say my name." 

Softly, floating out on a sigh, came "Charlie." 

Taking Hoshi's face in his hands, Trip finally kissed her, a long, deep kiss that caused Hoshi's knees to finally call it quits. She tried to grab on to his shirt, but Trip had already wrapped an arm around her and pulled her to him. 

Finally breaking it off to gasp for air, Hoshi leaned against Trip's chest, still holding on to his shirt. _Never almost fainted from a kiss before._ She looked up at Trip, wondering how he could make her feel this way. _What is it with me and his kisses?_

"'Night, Hosh." Trip ran a hand down her cheek before walking to his cabin. Hoshi entered her room in a daze, getting ready for bed automatically, slipping into a very sound sleep. 

Trip walked causally back to his place, keying open the door and walking in. As soon as the door closed, however, the façade fell away and he stumbled to the chair. _Cold shower. I need a cold shower._ A line from the movie they just saw popped into his head. Trip had to laugh, it was perfect: 'Oh my God this girl's really turning me on'. 

* * * * * 

Meanwhile, a cloaked ship was trailing the Enterprise. 

"Commandant, we have some interesting cultural information from the alien ship." 

"What is it?" 

"They just watched some sort of entertainment where their planet was attacked by a mad ruler, and a male hero saves it, along with a scantily clad female of the species, which he then attempts to mate with." 

"Hmm. Interesting. This would be a good sociological experiment for this species. See how they react to stress and the like. Are there two subjects for the hero and woman that would fit out needs?" 

"Yes, Commandant. We have found two that seem to be interested in mating with each other, but for some reason are holding back. They are a part of their 'bridge crew', and the other members would round out the experiment in minor roles." 

"Excellent. Get started right away."

By Mara

Hoshi turned over restlessly, the final hours of her sleep disrupted by endless dreams that would undoubtedly be embarrassing if examined in the light of day. 

She mumbled "too much lasagna" as she stretched her arm out for the glass of water she'd placed by her bed. She groped once and missed the table, groped again and realized the *table* was missing. 

Eyes still closed, she pondered this development. _If this is some practical joke of *Charlie's*, I'm going to reset his computer so every time he speaks to T'Pol it says 'I'm a moron' in Vulcan._

She took a breath and prepared to open her eyes. _Whoa, hang on a second. I know when I went to sleep my sheets weren't satin._ Her eyes shot open and she sat up in bed. 

_And I'm pretty sure my quarters were smaller, darker, and had lot fewer bizarre metal sculptures._

Hoshi wrapped the red satin sheet around her and got up to investigate her surroundings. When she was halfway to what looked like a door, a figure carrying a bizarre weapon and dressed in the most absurd uniform she'd ever seen entered the room. _Looks like whoever's doing the designing around here went a bit overboard on the red and shiny._

"What is going on here?" she asked, stomping up to him. "Where the hell is my ship?" 

"Forget about your ship. You are here as the guest of-" 

As the figure spoke, something dawned on Hoshi. "If you say Ming the Merciless, I'm going to scream," she said with great conviction. 

"...Ming the Merciless, who has brought you here to be his Bride of the Hour." 

Hoshi screamed, and the guard took a step back in alarm before remembering he was the one with the gun in his hand. 

The guard pointed to what Hoshi had assumed was a pile of gauze and said, "Put on your clothing and prepare to meet my master." 

Hoshi said, "No way. Either this is another dream, caused by this evening's lasagna, or else I've gone completely insane. Either way, I'm not marrying anybody and you're not going to get me into that outfit." 

"Perhaps you'd like to meet my lord wearing a sheet, instead?" 

Hoshi glared at the guard and pondered her options. _Well, bad clothing is better than nothing. Even if this is a dream, I'd rather be clothed._ "Out," she said. "I'm certainly not getting dressed with you watching." 

She was already searching the room visually for possible weapons when the guard got in the last word on his way out of the room. "Oh, and don't expect a rescue, we have your boyfriend as well." 

* * * * * 

Trip opened his eyes to find himself in prison. "What the-" he said, looking around the spare room, which was wreathed in shadows. 

"Good, you are awake," a voice said from out of the darkness.

By Josephine

"Who's there?" Trip got up off the stone floor and found his wrists in manacles, chained to the wall. "What th' hell goin' on?" 

A figure, swathed in robes, came from of the shadows to stand just out of reach. 

"T'Pol? Why am I chained up? Where are we?" 

"I am Princess Aura. My father, Ming the Merciless, captured your spaceship and placed you here. After plundering your ship's library for information of your species, he will destroy your planet. He doesn't like competition." 

"Wha ...? T'Pol, what th' hell's goin' on?" Trip stilled as a thought occurred to him. "Where's Hoshi?" 

"I don't know who you think I am, and your 'Hoshi' is about to become my step-mother." 

"Very funny T'Pol, now GET ME OUT OF HERE!" 

"I had hoped that you would help me in overthrowing my father, and perhaps get your girlfriend back at the same time. But, if you insist on acting belligerent, I'll do it without you." Moving back into the shadows, Aura called out: "Guards!" 

A door Trip hadn't noticed before swung open and a burly Neanderthal in more tin than a house with siding came in. "Stun him," Aura commanded. 

The last hope Trip had that this was some kind of joke left as pain exploded throughout his body and he fell to the floor, unconscious. 

* * * * * * 

Slowly coming to, Trip became aware of how much his head hurt, then the stone floor under his cheek. _Not a dream ..._ Rising to his feet, Trip took stock of where he was. 

Dungeon. Small windows with bars. Heavy wooden door. Locked, of course. Manacles, attached to chains ... looking down at his wrists, Trip realized he wasn't wearing anything but a pair of what seemed like red basketball shorts. The kind they wore around the 1970's. And they were a size too small. _Great ..._

The manacles being too tight to slip off, Trip followed the chains back up to the also stone wall. They were welded to a plate, which was bolted to the wall. Trip tried pulling the plate from the wall, and got it to move somewhat, but not a lot. 

_Well, I'm not Chief Engineer for nothin' ..._ Looking around, Trip saw a metal contraption on the floor in pieces just out of reach. Lying down and stretching out as far as he could, Trip was able to snag part of it with his foot. A few grunts and a lot of straining brought the heavy tangle of bars and chains over to him. Sorting through the mess, he found a bar with a tapered end. Grabbing a block of wood he assumed was intended to sit on, Trip jammed the end of the bar under the metal plate. Using the wood as a fulcrum, he was able pry the bolts out from the wall. Trip quickly made work of the other plate. 

Moving to the wooden door, he looked out the round window cut into it. _Only one guard ..._

Pressing himself against the wall behind the door, Trip called out: "Hey, where'd the Princess go? I wanna talk to her again! Yo, Bruno, you out there?" He waited until the brute had opened the door halfway, then slammed it back into the guard, knocking him out. 

Trip rifled through the various parts of what passed for armor wherever he was, finally finding a key that unlocked the chains but not the manacles. Dragging the chains and the guard into the cell, Trip grabbed the fallen ray gun and locked the door. 

_Now to find Hoshi ..._


	12. Chapter Twelve

Title: RR: Trip/Sato  
Author: Josephine, Misanoe, Chrysa, Didi, Rodlox, Mara  
E-Mail: For contact info, look under the **posting forum**.  
Rating: R  
Category: Romance  
Codes: T/S  
Summary: Round robin in the Trip/Sato forum. Trip turns on the charm . . .   
Disclaimer: Star Trek and Enterprise are registered trademarks of Paramount Pictures. No infringement is intended.  
Notes: This is a round robin started in the **Trip and Sato Forum** of **Linguistics Database**. There are multiple authors involved, please seek permission from all before archiving. Format and quick beta by Jyorraku.

Mara 

It took Hoshi a few minutes to figure out how to put on the clothing they'd left her, probably because most of it seemed to be missing, and what was left consisted of a tiny amount of fabric and a bunch of gauzy strips that utterly failed to cover her in any reasonable fashion. The shoes were pink, but at least they were more substantial than bare feet. Although why they had high heels... 

She struggled into it and then tiptoed to the room's entrance to scope out escape possibilities. Peering out, she found two guards dressed in the same absurd outfits, who pointed their guns at her. One said, "Do not attempt to escape or we will be forced to shoot you." She ducked her head back in the room. 

_Too bad I'm the comm officer rather than security. I don't think trying to take out two guards with guns using what I remember from self-defense is going to be a winner of an idea._

She circled the room looking for something that could be used as a weapon, and settled on a round metal tray as the only possibility. _I'm sure taking this dream seriously. But, I thought you usually don't *realize* when you're in a dream._

Hoshi shrugged, and settled herself and the tray down to wait for what would come. _Well, if I'm going to have Flash Gordon dreams, I might as well play along._

Footsteps approached and she stood up, trying to hold the tray menacingly. The two guards entered the room, followed by someone else. 

"Whoever you are," she said, "I'm not going to marry you." 

"But you are," a familiar voice said as the two guards stepped aside to reveal...Malcolm Reed. 

Hoshi stared. "Malcolm, how did you get into my dream?" 

"This is not a dream, my dear," he said, stepping closer and taking away the tray she'd forgotten she was holding, "and I don't think you'll be needing this." 

"This is officially weird. And dream or no dream, there is no way I'm marrying you." 

He slapped her, and she stepped back in shock. "Be silent," he said with quiet menace. "I am Ming the Merciless and we *will* marry this evening." 

Hand to her cheek, Hoshi stared at her crewmate. _That hurt. Can you feel pain in a dream? Dorothy, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore._

Malcolm, or Ming, began to circle around her. Her mind racing, she could barely concentrate on what he was saying. 

"...after we marry, I will destroy the Earth." He stopped in front of her, glaring down and looking like he wanted her to argue. 

_Maybe if I keep him talking, I can figure out what's going on. _"Why?" she asked. 

He looked surprised at the question. "Why? Why what?" 

"Why exactly would you want to destroy the Earth?" 

"Because," he said, looming over her, "I do not allow other species to threaten my rule in this section of the universe. Humans must die before they cause me further trouble. I will spread my dominion to every corner of the universe that contains sentient species. I will have unlimited power. I am invincible!" 

"You," she said, "are Malcolm Reed." 

He growled, raising his hand to slap her again, "Do not call me that name! I am Ming the Merciless!" 

She lifted her chin in defiance. 

He lowered his hand, grabbing her wrist instead. "Come with me," he said, "and I will show you how your planet will die." 

A strange zipping sound echoed twice through the room and Hoshi heard Trip's voice yell, "She's not goin' anywhere with you." 

The two guards fell to the floor and Malcolm grabbed Hoshi and held her in front of him. "Do not try to shoot me, Earthman, or this girl will die instead." 

Hoshi looked at Trip standing in the doorway--ray gun in hand--and she winked at him. 

Then she raised her foot and scraped the pointed high heel of her shoe down Malcolm's insole as hard as she could. He yelped in pain, she rammed her free elbow into his gut, and he doubled over. 

Trip crossed the room, slammed the butt of the ray gun into his head and Malcolm fell to the floor. "Can't take a chance this pop gun might actually kill him." 

They faced each other, still breathing heavily from exertion, silent for a few seconds. Then, a grin spread across Trip's face as he saw what she was wearing. "Lookin' good, darlin'. I'm not sure pink is your color, but I like the fit." 

Hoshi shook her head slowly, taking a good look at him for the first time. "I don't think I want anyone but me to see you in shorts that tight. And I *know* I don't want anyone else to see me dressed like this." 

He opened his arms and she wrapped her arms around his chest. They stood like that for a long moment, just soaking each other in. 

"I hate to be a spoilsport," Trip said eventually, "but do you, by any chance, have the faintest idea how we got onto this Flash Gordon set? Or why Malcolm thinks he's Ming the Merciless and T'Pol thinks she's Princess Aura?" 

Hoshi's eyes widened and she looked up at him. "T'Pol...Oh good grief, this is really getting ridiculous. I thought this was a dream. But," she looked down at Malcolm, "when he slapped me, it hurt." 

Trip's arms held her tighter. "He hit you?" 

"I can't believe Malcolm would ever do that," she said, rubbing her cheek against his chest, "but, apparently I was wrong and this isn't a dream. We need to get out of here before he wakes up. We need to figure out what's going on." 

"You're right, we need to get out of here." Trip hugged her close one more time and then let go, taking her hand instead. "Grab yourself a ray gun and let's go."

A. Nonny 

Several hallways down, they were no closer to an escape, or to figuring it out. 

And then Hoshi bodily ran into Captain Archer. "I'm so sorry about that," she told him as they got back up. 

"It is alright," he told her, his voice oddly calm...almost Vulcan in patience. Trip was immediately paranoid about it. 

"What're you doing here?" Trip asked. 

"I come in peace, on behalf of all planets," Archer said. 

"You know this movie?" Trip asked Hoshi. 

"Maybe...I think so." To Archer, "I'm sorry, who are you?" 

"My name is Klaatu. This is Gort." 

Hoshi expected, at the rate things had been going, that Doctor Phlox or one of the large ensigns would be the robot. 

But no - Porthos walked around Archer.

Josephine 

"Umm ... yeah. Right. We gotta go." Grabbing Hoshi's hand Trip ran past Archer and Porthos. Quickly making random turns, they finally leaned against a wall in a deserted hallway to catch their breath. 

"They weren't in the movie last night." 

"Wonder where they came from," Trip answered, looking around. 

Hoshi shrugged. "A non sequitur. Which way?" she managed to get out. Trip didn't answer, he just stared at her. "What?" 

"We have to bring that outfit back with us. You look damn good in it." 

Hoshi's gaze dropped to her 'gown', which barely covered her heaving bosom. Fighting a blush, she came back with an "Only if you keep those shorts," before the panel behind her slid open and she fell through. 

"Hoshi!!" Trip ran to the opening, but it closed right as he got to it. 

"Hoshi!!" After pounding on the wall with his fists, Trip tried shooting it with the ray gun; neither had any effect. 

"Dammit!" Running down the hall, he made turns onto subsequently bigger and bigger hallways. 

Trip took another corner and ran into something. Looking up from his place on the floor, he saw Archer. "Not again." 

"I don't believe we've met." Archer reached out a hand and helped Trip up. "I am Prince Barin." 

"Oh yeah," Trip said, looking at Arch ... er ... Barin. "You've got a goatee now." 

"He is my betrothed." Princess Aura stepped out from behind Barin. 

Trip tried very hard to hold back a laugh. 

"My father has taken your girlfriend to his castle to be married." A rumble shook the building. "There they go." 

"This isn't his castle?" 

"This is my father's weekend bungalow. He had thought to have a quiet wedding, only 500 guests, but you have annoyed him, so now he will do it with much fanfare." 

"Where is this castle, and where is a ship?" 

"You will not get past my father's guards, not without our help. We will help you get your beloved; you help us overthrow my father." 

Trip thought for about two seconds. "Alright. Let's go."

A. Nonny 

* * * * * 

No sooner had the three of them turned a corner than they abruptly ran into a human head! 

The head was still attached to a body, and very much alive...but the person it belonged to was still alive. "Mayweather?" Trip asked. The boomer was standing up, his feet on the ceiling. 

And on the boomer's back was a very large, very visible pair of wings. Trip silently prayed that nobody said what it was...it couldn't be, right? Right? 

Not a fai- 

* * * * *

Mara 

Hoshi lunged for the panel closing behind her, but before she could reach it, strong arms grabbed her. _Not *again*!_

"Oh no, we're not letting you get away this time." The voice represented every guard in every B-movie, she'd ever seen. She kicked out at the voice, but he banged her head against the nearest wall and the world grayed around her. _I'm tired of being unconscious,_ was her fuzzy thought. 

By the time her head had cleared sufficiently, she was being dragged down a passageway by two guards, and another had the ray gun she'd dropped in his hands. 

"Where are you taking me?" she asked. 

"My lord wishes you brought to the control room for our journey to where you will be married," the guard with a gun said. 

She started to argue about the marriage again, but decided this was neither the time nor the place. 

* * * * * 

The aliens were eagerly gathered around the displays that showed the progress of the simulation. 

"Commandant?" one asked, "Why did you separate them so quickly? Things were...progressing nicely." 

"We *are* here to do more than watch alien mating procedures, you know." 

"Yes, sir." 

"We need to test their reactions in adversity." 

"Yes, sir." 

The Commandant moved in the alien equivalent of a shrug. "Besides, if the male does not succeed in stopping this 'marriage,' we'll get to see *that* mating, in any case. It's a win-win situation." 

"Yes, sir." 

* * * * * 

The guards dragged Hoshi into a chamber that looked like the Enterprise's bridge on psychotropic drugs: enormous screens, windows looking out on an alien landscape, switches and levers in bright colors, even a button labeled "Do Not Push." 

They threw her in a chair and pointed guns at her when she started to rise. She subsided with a muttered curse and tried to peer out the nearest window. She heard a rumble, and felt the floor shake. The ground dropped away and Hoshi groaned. _Great, I'll bet we've just left Trip behind._

"So," Malcolm's voice said from behind her, "you would rather escape with that puny Earthman prisoner than marry the lord of this realm?" 

_Well, at least we didn't kill him accidentally._

He strolled around the stand in front of her, looking rather dapper and menacing in his robes. When she didn't answer, he stepped closer and loomed over her, running a finger down her cheek. "Well, your boyfriend will not come to save you this time. He has left with Princess Aura, my faithless daughter." 

He stepped back and snapped his fingers, and a guard flipped a switch on a nearby console. The screen above changed from a view of receding yellow hills to one of Trip talking to two people, but the camera was apparently behind them, so she couldn't see their faces. One, Hoshi assumed, must be T'Pol, since Trip had said she thought she was Aura. But who was the other? 

The three turned to leave without Hoshi seeing the other two. She blinked back a tear when Trip disappeared from the screen. 

Malcolm stalked around her, and she glared up at him. "Where are we going?" 

He slapped her cheek again, and her head snapped around. "You will call me 'my lord' or you will not speak at all." 

She bit back a savage response, and slowly turned back to face him. She could hear the guards snickering, but she swallowed her pride for the sake of information. "*My lord*, where are we going?" 

The cruel smile that looked so out of place on Malcolm's face appeared. "We are going to my castle for our wedding. And once we are married, I will wipe out the rebels, starting with my daughter and Prince Barin...and your boyfriend." 

"The rebels? My lord?" The last two words came out rather forced, but it was enough to appease him. 

"They have this ridiculous idea that they might succeed in overthrowing my benevolent rule. Setting up something called a democracy. Madness. No matter, they have only a few working ships, the rest are nothing but spare parts, we will defeat them easily." 

_Well, looks like I'm on my own for now. Time for me to stop reacting and start thinking. Where are we? What is Enterprise doing? And since I don't know what Trip's up to, how can one lone linguist/comm officer defeat Ming the Merciless?_


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Title: RR: Trip/Sato  
Author: Josephine, Misanoe, Chrysa, Didi, Rodlox, Mara  
E-Mail: For contact info, look under the **posting forum**.  
Rating: R  
Category: Romance  
Codes: T/S  
Summary: Round robin in the Trip/Sato forum. Trip turns on the charm . . .   
Disclaimer: Star Trek and Enterprise are registered trademarks of Paramount Pictures. No infringement is intended.  
Notes: This is a round robin started in the **Trip and Sato Forum** of **Linguistics Database**. There are multiple authors involved, please seek permission from all before archiving. Format and quick beta by Jyorraku.

* * * * * 

I have been asked if we had any pics of Archer in a goatee, and while I have none of him, I did put together one of Trip, Malcolm, and Hoshi as their respective Flash counterparts.  A quick job.  All the pictures were from the movie.  Even Trip's.  ;)  I don't know how to put a link into FanFiction, so you'll have to cut and paste. 

 http://judy.jteers.net/cgi-bin/cutecast/cutecast.pl?forum=5&thread=63

* * * * *

By Josephine

"Vultan!" Barin pulled out his sword, sweeping Aura behind him with his other arm. Springing from the ceiling, Vultan flipped over to land on his feet. 

"Barin. Put that toothpick away before you hurt yourself." 

Trip picked himself up off the floor and stood between the two adversaries. "You're never goin' to defeat Ming if you fight amongst yourselves!" _Where th' hell did that come from?_ "You're goin' to have to work together on this. Once he's gone, you'll have to band together to survive." 

Barin stepped back, reluctantly sheathing his sword. "We have always been enemies. It will be difficult to trust him." 

"Ming probably set you against each other. Wise up. Now where's that ship?" 

Aura stepped up beside Barin. "I have been secretly upgrading my personal transport. It is almost as fast as my father's ship. This way." 

Taking off after the running Aura, Trip found himself next to Vultan. The hawk man grinned at him. "So you're the Earthling that came with the woman. She's got a quite a figure on her, that one does!" 

Trip looked over at him, trying to reconcile the image of Travis with wings going off on how great Hoshi's body was. 

"You have no worries, Earthman," Vultan continued. "No offence, but if a wench doesn't have wings, she don't do nothin' for me." 

"Thanks," Trip managed to get out. 

Ray gun fire came at them as the group rounded a corner. They all ducked, but Trip was too slow and got hit on the arm. He lay against the wall, gritting his jaw against the pain. 

Aura tossed her ray gun to Barin, then made her way to Trip. "It's not too bad," she said, tearing off a piece of her already miniscule outfit. 

"Stings like the dickens." Trip let out one last "Errgg" as Aura bandaged the wound. 

"Your father has a whole platoon guarding your ship, my love," Barin called over his shoulder. 

"I will circle around and bring my hawk warriors to the other side. Can you get any of your woodsmen here? We can flank them, and get to the ship." 

Barin looked at Vultan a moment, then nodded. "I'll wait for your signal." 

Vultan ran back down the hall, leaping through an opening in the ceiling. Trip looked back to Barin as the man put his fingers to his mouth and blew a series of sharp whistles. 

"My woodsmen are on their way." 

Sooner than Trip would have expected, a phalanx of men in green and brown came around the corner. He recognized a few of them from his department. _This keeps getting weirder and weirder..._

Coming back to the scene at hand, Trip heard a strange kind of bird call. 

"That's the signal! Now remember, the hawk men are on our side! For Folia!! For Freedom!!" The woodsmen took off toward Ming's crew. Trip quickly picked himself up and followed. 

Interestingly enough, the battle was quite short. Trip took down a few of Ming's mass of mindless minions himself; and before he knew it, he was with Barin, Aura, and Vultan in front of the ship. 

"We will take the ship to my father's castle. Can your hawk warriors and woodsmen meet us there?" Aura looked to the Princes. 

"Of course." 

"Indeed, my love." 

"Come then. We have much to do before we arrive." 

Up in the ship Trip found a comfortable place to sit. 

"How is your arm, Earthman?" Aura came to stand next to him. 

"It's fine. Call me Trip." 

"Very well, Trip." Moving over to her own chair, Aura inadvertently leaned back and arched away with a small cry. Barin heard it, however, and came over. 

"Does your back still hurt, my love?" Seeing Trip's frown, Barin explained. "When Ming found out Aura was plotting against him, he had her whipped." 

"It's not so bad, my love." 

Barin turned back to Aura, pulling her into his embrace and kissing her gently. He lifted her onto his lap and held her close as the ship sped on to Ming's castle. 

Trip looked away, partly to give them some privacy, partly because it was a little strange to see what amounted to Archer and T'Pol in such an intimate embrace. Trip had always suspected Archer had feelings for his Vulcan science officer, he wondered if the aliens who had set this up suspected too. That would explain Archer being Barin instead of Ming. 

His thoughts naturally turning to Hoshi, Trip wondered if they would get there in time. He nearly shook with fury at the thought of Malcolm ... (Ming - author) ... _Whatever ..._ with her. Aside from him being shot with a ray gun, this farce they were acting out had been rather benign. But if they weren't able to stop the wedding; Trip didn't want to think of Malc ... fine, **Ming** ... exercising his imaginary conjugal rights. _Especially since Hoshi is not a willing bride._

The image of Hoshi in an honest-to-goodness wedding gown carrying a bouquet of magnolia blossoms and wearing one of the smiles she only had for him came to Trip. The gown slipped from her shoulders as Hoshi dropped the flowers, beckoning to Trip. He groaned. _Thank Gawd these shorts are so tight ..._

"How soon until we get there?" Trip's voice sounded harsh in the silence. 

"Forty minutes, sir," came the reply. 

_Hold on, darlin' ... I'm comin' ... _

By Mara

The guards led Hoshi through a seemingly endless series of corridors. _Jeez, whoever set this up either went to a hell of a lot of trouble, or their tech's better than ours. Neither of those is a comforting thought._

The never-ending scenery of gray stone walls and doorways was broken only by the occasional battle axe or torture instrument. The damp chill coming off the walls made Hoshi shiver in her skimpy outfit. 

Finally, the guards stopped in front of a door that looked to her just like every other door. One guard opened the door and smirked at her as he yanked her wrist and pulled her in after him. 

She stumbled as the guard behind her pushed, and she landed on her knees on a cushion on the floor in front of Ming, who was seated in a chair. He raised an eyebrow at the precipitous entrance and waved off the guards. She heard them retreat through the door behind her and shut it, and she started to stand up. 

Ming leaned forward and pressed down on her shoulder. "Stay there," he practically purred, and leaned back in his chair. 

She knelt in front of him, eyes darting around the room getting her first good look at her surroundings. _Good grief, it's early American boudoir combined with the harem scene from some bad film._ Every surface that wasn't covered in sheer fabric had cushions or...objects she didn't want to examine too closely. 

_Well, fighting this scenario hasn't gotten me anywhere,_ Hoshi decided as Ming let his eyes roam over her body, _maybe it's time I played along with the kind of movie I'm stuck in. What happens now? Right, the girl is taken to the villain, and she seduces him, catches him off-guard, and escapes with her virtue intact. I hope. If I distract him enough, maybe I can knock him out with something. It works in this kind of movie, at least._

She inhaled deeply, letting the gauzy material drift lower down her chest. Ming's eyes followed it down, and she forced herself to relax, resting on the cushions at his feet, rather than preparing to pounce. 

* * * * * 

Most of the aliens were watching the scanner that followed Trip's movements, but there were three hovering over Hoshi and Malcolm. 

"What is she doing?" one whispered. "Should we get the Commandant?" 

"No, leave him. He wants to watch the battle," said the second, slightly older and wiser. "If this gets too much more interesting, he might stop it." 

The third made a face. "What *is* the female doing? Shouldn't she be fighting by now? She is alone with her enemy, there are possible weapons scattered around. What weapon will she use?" 

* * * * * 

Ming smiled slowly at her, and her brain felt like it would explode. It was Malcolm...except that it wasn't. He stood and held out his hand, and when she took it, drew her to her feet. They stood almost face to face and his eyes flashed satisfaction. 

"So, you've come to your senses?" 

Hoshi wet her lips. _Coy. How do I act coy? Why didn't I take that drama class in college?_ She looked down. "Perhaps, my lord." The words stuck in her throat, but she managed. "It is good to be on the winning side." 

He took her hand and brought it to his lips. "If you join me willingly, you will make a splendid empress." 

The parody of a courtly gesture such as Trip might make caused her skin to crawl. _This is *Malcolm*,_ she reminded herself. _He may like to blow things up, but he's a gentleman when he's not being controlled by...someone._ She forced herself to smile at him. 

He kept hold of her hand and slowly stepped back to look her over again. "Oh yes, a most amazing warrior empress." 

"Thank you, my lord." She paused. "When is our wedding?" 

"So eager?" He stepped closer again, his lips hovering over her ear, his cheek against hers. She stayed still, hoping he would attribute her shaking to excitement. "We are to wed within the hour. I will leave you to get dressed." 

Before she could react, he'd stepped out of range of any other self-defense maneuver she might dredge out of her memory and lifted a pile of fabric. "Here is your wedding dress, my lady, I leave you to put it on." He walked toward the door, turning just before he opened it. "Oh, and just in case you have any other ideas about escaping, there will be one guard stationed in this room, and two outside." 

She stared at him in dismay. 

"Not that I don't trust you, my dear," he said with a twisted grin, "but when one is overlord of the known universe, one can never be too careful. Now, do get dressed, the guard will be in here in five minutes. And I don't wish to share any more of your charms with him than I already have." 

The door slammed shut with an echo that felt like the guillotine dropping. Hoshi closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around her stomach. _What the hell am I going to do?_ She waded in misery for a few moments and then took a deep breath and reached for the dress. _I'm going to keep going until I come up with a new plan. I'm going to get the hell out of here._

* * * * * 

The same three aliens were still hovering over the screen. 

"Well, that was disappointing," the third alien said. "They didn't fight at all." 

The older and wiser one shook his head. "You've missed the point entirely. She was trying to be tricky, but she failed. The question remains, what will she do if she has to go through with this 'wedding'?" 

"Maybe then she'll fight?" The others brightened at the thought. 

* * * * * 

Hoshi sighed as she looked down at her "wedding dress." _At least it covers more of my body than the other one. The fabric has a bit higher plastic count than you would normally see in a dress, but it does cover the relevant portions. The bust is a bit low and the headdress is definitely a bit much. Could be a good weapon, though, so I think I'll wear it._

The guard burst into the room, obviously hoping to catch her undressed. She looked at him disdainfully, trying to do her best impression of a haughty empress, turning away to hide her fear. She sank down into the chair Ming had occupied, and thought furiously. _Maybe I can get some information out of him. It's either that or sit here and think about my upcoming nuptials._

She made sure the guard was watching and crossed her legs, careful to let the material slide away as far as possible. _Good grief, I'm never going to be able to watch a movie like this again._

"You, guard, what is your name?" she asked in the most sultry voice she could summon. _Too bad my sultry sounds more like hoarse, but it's the best I can do._

He dragged his eyes up from her thighs and said, "Jaysen, my lady." 

"So, Jaysen," she shifted in the chair, causing the fabric to slip even further, "do you know how," she swallowed, "how my lord Ming captured me?" _How the hell did we *get* here?_

"No, I don't," he said, taking a step closer. 

_Damn._ "Then perhaps you've been kept up-to-date on the plans to crush the rebels?" she smiled and stretched. "Is there some way I can be of assistance in planning?" 

"Well, after your wedding," he said, "we will be launching three-" 

The door opened and the other two guards stepped in. "It is time," one said, pointing the gun at her. "Come willingly or we will carry you." 

* * * * *

By A. Nonny

"I do hope that they aren't discomforting you much," said a voice that sounded reasonably male. 

_Then again, I've seen _The Prophecy_ enough to suspect._ "Who's there?" 

One second, the space in front of him was empty, the next, it was filled by a lanky figure that was mostly humanoid...or a tall duck, as drawn by someone who didn't know what a duck was. 

The lower pair of hands looked normal enough, but above them were two hands, each with only a stubby thumb, and a single large claw on each hand instead of fingers. 

"Who the hell are - on second thought, what are you and why're you here?" 

"I have my reasons. 

"My name is ye Tytyvyllus -- but you can call me Ty." 

"Ye -" Trip started to say. "You're the patron demon of scribes, back on Earth?" 

Ty nodded. "Minus the religious aspect, I don't work for a devil. You people aren't the only ones who can be confused. Watch," and pointed one claw at T'Pol...who started laughing. 

"Mwhahahahaha!" T'pol roared. 

Trip didn't know what was scarier -- the thought of demon-like things running the show, or T'Pol laughing like a maniac.

By Josephine

Trip woke with a start. _What a weird dream ... Did it mean anything?_

"We are approaching my father's castle now. We will come up from below, and work our way through the catacombs." Trip nodded at Aura's instructions. 

"Take this." Barin tossed him a ray rifle. "It'll do more damage than a gun." 

Creeping through the lower levels of the castle, the rebels met only a few of Ming's mindless minions. Usually they could just shoot their way past, but once or twice they had to duke it out. Trip took great satisfaction in smashing in a few faces. 

Before long they were on a balcony above a great hall. Trip could hear loud organ music. 

"The wedding song." He looked over at Aura. "Your beloved is with my father and the Chancellor now." 

* * * * *  
"The Chancellor?" 

"Well, and why shouldn't I be in it? It looks like fun." 

Not saying a word, the alien looked back at the view screen. 

* * * * *  
Trip peeked over the edge of the railing. He could see what he assumed to be Hoshi standing up with Malcolm ... **MING!** ... _:::sigh::: sorry!_ ... *Ming* before an old guy who was droning on. 

"We've got to stop it!" Standing up, Trip took hold of a decorative swag and jumped off the balcony, firing at Ming's mindless minions, riding the length of fabric like Tarzan on a vine. Hitting the floor, he rolled a few times, coming up firing. 

"Trip!" Looking up, Trip saw Hoshi struggling to get to him. He slowly stood up, staring at her, forgetting about the ray guns firing all around him. She was stunning. Regal, like a queen. Trip suddenly felt unworthy of any affection she deigned to show him. 

"Trip, look out!" He voice brought him back in time to see Ming's general fire point blank at him. 

_I thought these were just supposed to stun ..._ Trip's vision started to go black. _I can't die, I'm the hero ..._ The last thing he heard was Ty's maniacal laughter. 

Trip fell to the floor as Hoshi screamed. 

* * * * * 

Dragging her off, Ming entered a small room where the Chancellor was waiting. The door clanged shut, effectively cutting off all sound from the great hall. 

Ming took Hoshi's jaw in his hand. "My men do not have a stun setting on their guns. Your boyfriend is dead. The wedding *will* continue." 

In a daze, Hoshi heard the Chancellor finishing the ceremony, his words loud in the silent room. She heard Ming say 'I do', then was pulled to him for a kiss. 

"You will make a wonderful Empress." His hand roamed over her. "I must make sure the rebels have been taken care of. I will see you later tonight." Bringing her hand to his lips, Ming was gone with a swirl of red robes. Hoshi just stared after him, then was forced by the guards down a hallway to ornate double doors. 

_He's not really gone. He's still alive. I have to believe that. I have to._ She was pushed into the room, the doors clanging shut. _What is it with those doors?_ Hoshi fell back as three handmaidens came forward. 

"We are here to help your majesty get ready for your wedding night." 

"Oh no. Not with that freak out there." Hoshi backed further away, stopping only when she bumped against a burly guard in front of the doors. She spun away from him, caught in the middle. 

"When you're done dressing the Empress, place her in these." The guard threw a pair of shackles down. "Chain her to the bed. The Emperor doesn't want her escaping." 

Hoshi looked at the restraints lying on the floor, her plans to get out of this insane asylum severely hampered. Quickly shifting gears, she started thinking of another way out. 


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Title: RR: Trip/Sato  
Author: Josephine, Misanoe, Chrysa, Didi, Rodlox, Mara  
E-Mail: For contact info, look under the **posting forum**.  
Rating: R  
Category: Romance  
Codes: T/S  
Summary: Round robin in the Trip/Sato forum. Trip turns on the charm . . .   
Disclaimer: Star Trek and Enterprise are registered trademarks of Paramount Pictures. No infringement is intended.  
Notes: This is a round robin started in the **Trip and Sato Forum** of **Linguistics Database**. There are multiple authors involved, please seek permission from all before archiving. Format and quick beta by Jyorraku.

Well, this is it.  The feedback has been great.  If you'd like, you can come on over to the Linguistics Database and check out the other two Trip/Hoshi RR we did.  One is finished and the other is still going.  There is an Archer/Hoshi RR with a TON of angst, and a Malcolm/Hoshi RR with the Mirror Universe crew in it.  That one is really nice.  J

judy.jteers.net/lingdata/ 

Thank you, and good night!!

* * * * *

By Mara

Her mind moved faster than it ever had before, but it came up empty. Any useful thought she might have had was stifled by the image of Trip falling, hit by the beam from the gun. 

The handmaidens stepped forward and grabbed her. She struggled, but they were stronger than her and swiftly stripped off the dress, aided by the indifferent guard. They forced her into an even more uncomfortable outfit--more a set of leather straps placed at random points than actual clothing--and tossed her on the bed. The guard went to stand outside. 

She stopped struggling when she heard the manacles click into the headboard behind her, and shuddered. _This bed has a spot for chains to be attached to?_

"Why are you doing this?" she asked the women, who stood by the bed apparently waiting for the Emperor to dismiss them. 

"Because that is what the Emperor told us to do," one said. 

Hoshi stared at them. "So, you don't have a problem with this Emperor of yours engaging in a little conjugal rape?" 

The one who'd spoken turned cold, dead eyes on her. "What does it matter what we think? Ming the Merciless controls everything." 

"Not everything. I know there are rebels, you could join them and fight," Hoshi said. 

"The rebels will be crushed," another said, sounding as if she were reciting a familiar verse. 

"But we could help them," Hoshi said, getting desperate now. 

* * * * * 

Most of the aliens were watching this exchange, and a great deal of note-taking was occurring. 

The three who'd been watching Hoshi all along were now shunted to the back of the crowd and conversed in whispers. 

"Her will is strong," the one who wanted to see her fight said. "Even after seeing her mate fall in battle, she persists in the struggle." 

The wise one tilted its head and peered over shoulders. "She might even have succeeded in persuading these other three females if we were not in control of the situation. Hmm, I hope they're recording this part." 

* * * * * 

Hoshi was stretched to the limit of her chains, pleading her case. Two of the women seemed to be softening, listening to her arguments. The third was ignoring her entirely, but didn't make her stop talking. _If I can just get out of this room..._

The door opened and Ming entered with a pleased expression. He waved his hand and the three handmaidens filed out. The last looked over her shoulder with a fleeting expression of shame, but then she was gone. 

The door shut and he stood for a moment in front of it, looking at her. She scooted backward on the slippery sheets so her chained hands were in front of her. _I really don't like the way he's looking at my chest._

He stripped off his fancy robe, and tossed it on a chair, and strode toward the bed without a word. She tried to swallow past a suddenly dry throat. 

"This outfit is very becoming," he finally said, his voice deepening. 

"Um, thanks," she said, "but perhaps we should get to know each other a bit before jumping right into the 'being tied up' part." 

He chuckled and started to unbutton his shirt. If there had been any further to scoot, she'd have been there. _Trip! I'm out of ideas here. If you're alive, now would be a very good time to show up and save the day._

Ming tossed his shirt on the floor and started on his pants. _Okay, I've been in the decontamination chamber with Malcolm, so we're still in safe territory. Rapidly leaving safe territory._

He was down to underwear and he knelt on the bed beside her. Her heart was in her throat and she held her chained hands in front of her like a boxer and punched out at him. 

He easily grabbed her wrists with one hand and pulled them up above her head, pushing her down on the bed. She yelped and tried to get away, but he held her down with the weight of his body. 

His free hand traced down her side and she shivered. 

"Now, you're mine," he said. 

_Trip!_

By A. Nonny

Meanwhile... 

"I can assure you," Ty said, "I have done nothing wrong." 

"I don't know..." one of the others said. 

"C'mon," Ty said, "we've known each other - what? 1700 years? What's a human or three between friends?" 

_"Now, you're mine," he said.  
Trip!_

Just then, the roof caved in, well, not the entire roof, but just enough of it for Trip, Mayweather, T'pol, and Archer to fall through. Hoshi was in no mood to laugh at Mayweather's wings. 

"Now THAT'S a wormhole!" said a voice very much like John Crichton's. 

"Who the heck was that?" Trip asked. 

"No idea," Archer said. 

"Talk about the ground being swept out from under - Hoshi!" 

But now, Ming was on his feet, ready to order his guards back in here.

By Josephine

*Flashback slightly* 

Trip slowly became aware of his body. His aching body. He also became aware of the hard floor, the light, and a hand passing over his forehead. 

"What happened?" 

"You were shot by the Captain of the guard," Aura answered. 

"Thought I was dead." 

"Thankfully he is on our side. Can you stand?" Prince Barin held out his hand. 

"I'll have to. What now?" 

"The wedding was completed, but my father is finishing off searching for the rest of the rebel forces. If we get to his chambers, we might be able to rescue your beloved before he comes back." 

"Well, what're we waiting for?" Trip took off after Aura and Barin, Vultan close behind. 

Coming out on a roof, Aura pointed to a dome. "That is the ceiling of my father's bedchambers. It has cutwork that we can look down through. Be careful, there are guards everywhere." 

Working their way carefully to the dome, the rebels climbed it to look down into the bedchamber. 

"I think we are too late," said Barin. 

"What?!?" Trip recklessly clambered up the last ten feet. Looking down he could make out Hoshi on a bed with red satin sheets, Ming astride her, holding her down with his body. He was running one hand up her side to her ... with an inarticulate bellow, Trip pounded against the dome. 

"No!" cried Aura, "It will craaaaaaa....." 

The rebels fell through as the roof gave way. 

* * * * * 

Hoshi could see figures crawling over the dome above her head. _I hope that's you, Trip._ Suddenly cracks appeared in the dome. Hoshi hid her head against Ming's shoulder as small pieces of plaster began to fall. 

"Not so reluctant now, are we?" Ming's hand forced up Hoshi's chin as the roof gave way. 

"Now THAT'S a wormhole!" said a voice very much like John Crichton's. 

"Who the heck was that?" Trip asked. 

"No idea," Archer said. 

"Talk about the ground being swept out from under - Hoshi!" 

By now, Ming was on his feet, ready to order his guards back in here. 

Hoshi quickly scrambled to her feet, lifting her knee to hit Ming where it counts. As he doubled over, she laced her fingers together and brought them up sharply under his chin. Ming's head snapped up, his unconscious body falling backward on the bed. 

Trip just stared at Hoshi. _This is beginning to be a habit ..._ She was standing on the bed, dressed in some kind of skin tight teddy made of leather strips and rivets, her hair tumbling around her shoulders, her breast heaving with exertion, chained to the headboard, Ming at her feet. Trip thought he died and gone to heaven. She looked like a Boris Vallejo painting.

By Mara

Hoshi turned over restlessly, the final hours of her sleep disrupted by endless dreams that would undoubtedly be embarrassing if examined in the light of day. 

She mumbled "too much lasagna" as she stretched her arm out for the glass of water she'd placed by her bed. She groped once and missed the table, then stopped, swamped by a feeling of déjà vu. _Haven't I been here before? In my dream, there was something..._

She reached out slowly and carefully, found her table exactly where it was supposed to be, picked up the glass of water and took a sip. After taking a deep breath, she cracked one eye open and found her perfectly normal-looking quarters. 

She sighed with relief. _Only a dream. And one I'm *never* going to tell anyone about. No more lasagna and Flash Gordon before bed._

_But if it was a dream, why do my wrists hurt?_ She opened both eyes and stared in horror: lying across the foot of her bed were a gauzy pink outfit, a plastic/fabric wedding dress, and a series of leather straps. 

Still staring, she groped for the comm system. "Sato to Tucker." 

"Tucker here," his sleepy but welcome voice said. "Somethin' wrong, Hoshi?" 

"Um, that's kind of hard to say. Did you...have you..." 

He interrupted her stuttering words to say, "Holy-" The second word was bitten off, and there was a long pause. "Hoshi? There's this pair of shorts sitting on my bed, and I'm hopin' you know something about them." 

* * * * * 

On an alien ship speeding away, the aliens were contentedly compiling all the data they'd accumulated. All content except one. 

"But Commandant, we didn't get to see any *mating*!" 

"Next time. Things moved faster than we expected, and I did not wish our ship to be discovered. However, we've learned a great deal about these humans. They are persistent, single-minded, and form deep attachments, even to ones with whom they have not mated." 

* * * * * 

"Hoshi," Trip said. "Report to sickbay. I'll check on everyone else." 

"Trip? Do you think...was it them? Were they there as well?" 

Pause. "I don't know. I'll see you in sickbay. Tucker out." 

Trip leaned back on his bed, wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep and have this be a dream as well. _I'm not sure I can face this._

He swallowed and hit the comm system again. "Tucker to Archer." 

"Archer here." 

"Jon, have you had any funny dreams?" 

* * * * * 

Hoshi got dressed in a daze, averting her gaze from the clothing on her bed, but spending a few moments fingering the bruises on her wrists. _What happened to us?_

She stumbled to sickbay, glad she didn't run into anyone in the corridors. The door opened and she walked in. "Doctor Phlox?" she called. 

"Hoshi, what are *you* doing here?" 

Her breath caught in her throat. "Malcolm?" 

He was sitting calmly on a bed, being examined by Phlox. "I've got the strangest headache and several bruises. I think I was sleepwalking. Are you all right?" 

She stepped back, panic rising. _I'm not ready to see him yet._ She bumped into the door behind her. 

"What's wrong?" Malcolm asked, exchanging a curious glance with Phlox. 

The door opened, and she heard Trip and the Captain speaking. "Hoshi, what's the matter?" Trip asked. Then he must have seen Malcolm, because he said, "Oh." His arms came around her shoulders and he held her against him. She turned and buried her face in his chest, shivering as everything that had happened came back to her. 

Trip pulled her gently away from the doorway so the Captain could enter, and she heard T'Pol and Travis arrive as well. They were speaking, but all she could concentrate on was the feel of Trip. His hands gently stroked her back and he buried his face in her hair. He was shaking a bit, too. 

"It's okay to cry, darlin'," he said quietly. "You were so strong and so brave." 

"Trip? Hoshi? I hate to interrupt this tender moment, but I don't suppose you'd be interested in explaining why we're here?" Archer sounded mildly irritated.

By Josephine

Trip looked up at Archer. "How much of last night do y'all remember?" 

"After dinner?" 

"No, your dreams." 

The rest of the crew looked at each other. Travis spoke first. 

"... I had wings. And I found this on my bunk." He held up a very large brown feather. 

Archer looked back at Trip who held a still shivering Hoshi. "Trip...?" 

"Last night we were somehow transported into a version of the movie that was playing last night." 

"Flash Gordon?" 

"Yeah. I was Flash, Hoshi was Dale, you were Barin ..." 

"And I was Ming." Everyone's head turned toward Malcolm. Everyone but Hoshi. 

Malcolm hopped off the bed, meeting Trip's eyes. "Then those things I did to her, they were real?" 

Trip nodded. 

Malcolm started to say something to Hoshi, then stopped himself, sighing. 

Hoshi turned within the circle of Trip's arms. "It wasn't you, Malcolm. Something had taken over you. I just need time to realize that." 

Archer walked over to her. "The last thing I remember is you chained to that bed. Let me see those wrists." Hoshi held them up as Phlox came over. They were raw and bruised. 

"Let me take care of them, Ensign." She followed Phlox over to the examining bed. 

"If I recall correctly, Commander Tucker was injured also." T'Pol gestured to his arm. 

Pulling up his sleeve, Trip noticed the ray gun burn. "Almost forgot all about that." 

"You were hurt?" Hoshi's incredulous voice recalled Trip to her. 

"It's nothin', darlin." 

"What I want to know, is why the Captain was Barin instead of Ming," Travis piped up. "Barin wasn't in charge, he just loved the Princess and did what she said." Everyone's eyes went from Archer to T'Pol. Archer cleared his throat and stared at the ceiling, T'Pol raised an eyebrow, and Trip hid a grin, remembering the kiss on Aura's ship. 

"We'll probably never know, Travis." Archer quickly changed the subject. 

While the others talked over their adventure, Malcolm came up to Hoshi. "Hoshi, I wanted to ..." 

"It's alright, Malcolm. It was a shock seeing you so soon after I, well, knocked you out. It's not you, really." Malcolm looked at her still quivering hands. 

"You okay, darlin'?" Trip stood on Hoshi's other side. 

"Just trying to convince Malcolm he's not to blame for anything." 

"He's not." Trip stared at Malcolm until he nodded. 

"You two," Archer pointed at Hoshi and Trip, "have the rest of the day off. "You," he pointed at Malcolm, "can have the day off if you want." 

"I'll see how I feel, Sir." 

"Good." 

Trip helped Hoshi off the bed and walked with her out of sickbay. "So what do you want to do?" 

"I don't know." She opened her cabin door. Walking in, Trip grinned at the sight of the outfits on her bed. 

"I'd hoped they came with you ..." He stopped as he saw the stricken look on her face. "Hoshi, I'm sorry ..." 

"No, I'll be fine. You looked pretty funny, gaping at me in them." 

Trip laughed at himself. "Actually," Hoshi continued, "I know how to drive the demons these outfits have away ..." She picked up the pink one and started toward the bathroom. "I'll be right back ..."

By Mara

Hoshi slid into the outfit, then spent long moments staring at herself in the mirror. 

"Hoshi?" Trip's voice sounded almost as nervous as she felt. "Are you okay? We don't have to...I mean, we can wait..." 

She stepped out of the bathroom, and watched in amusement as he fought to not goggle at her. She had a brief memory of Ming looking her over in this outfit, but put it out of her mind. 

"Damn," he whispered, stepping closer, "you're so beautiful. D'you know how amazing you are?" 

"No. Perhaps you should tell me," she said, straight-faced. 

He blinked in surprise before realizing she was joking. His easy grin spread across his face, and her heart beat faster in response. 

He slid his hand down the side of her face. "You're beautiful." 

The hand caressed her jaw and throat. "You're gorgeous." 

Down her shoulder. "You're brilliant." 

Down her arm, taking her hand, bringing it up to his cheek. "You're brave." 

"I love you," she whispered, running her hand through his hair, pulling him toward her. 

"Love you too, darlin'." 

The kiss was gentle, almost tentative, and she leaned her whole body against him. "I won't break, I promise." 

He kissed his way from her forehead back to her lips, pausing only to say, "I know, but we're in no hurry, and I don't intend to be interrupted." 

She ran her hands up his chest and down his back, enjoying the feel of him. "What if an emergency comes up?" 

"We," (kiss), "are officially," (kiss), "off duty," (kiss). He smiled down at her, a smile full of wicked promise. "I don't care if the Klingons, Vulcans, *and* Andorians show up, they're not gettin' me out of here until we're good and ready." 

His hands slid along her body and she moaned. "Trip, you're wearing too much clothing." 

"What's my name?" he whispered in her ear, his hands running up and down her back, warm through the gauzy clothing. 

"Hmmm?" She nosed aside his shirt and nibbled on his neck. 

"What's my name?" he managed to ask again, gasping slightly as she bit at juncture of neck and shoulder. 

"Mmm, Charlie." 

"That's better." He let her take off the shirt. 

She ran her fingers through the hair on his chest with delight and he sighed. 

Somehow they managed to get the rest of their clothing off and stumble toward the bed, trying to not let go for even a moment. 

"I feel like I've waited forever for this," he said, looking down at her smiling face. 

"Don't wait any longer." 

* * * * * 

"No more B-movies," she said, as they lay spooned together afterward. 

He kissed her shoulder and laughed. "No more B-movies."  
  
"Maybe next movie night, we can just stay in and read a book or something." 

"Or something." 

--end--


End file.
